Career Readiness and Certification The Chamber believes Oklahoma needs more of our workforce to have the opportunities to earn more post- secondary education, including certifications, degrees and other training targeting skills that are in demand and meet industry needs. • We support key scholarship programs: Oklahoma Tuition Equalization Grants (OTEG) and Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grants (OTAG) • We support concurrent enrollment. These will help achieve the Complete College America goals by enabling more students enter college and obtain a college degree • We support development of work-based learning opportunities such as internships and apprenticeship programs FEDERAL ISSUES Removing Red Tape for Child Nutrition The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber recognizes that federal nutrition programs play a key role in keeping children in the Oklahoma City metro fed. The Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act hasn’t been updated in over a decade. The Chamber supports removal of red tape and continued flexibility to feed children safely and efficiently.
• Higher education funding specifically directed to produce graduates with degrees in Critical Occupations such as engineering, nursing and IT/ software • Increased accountability and annual metrics that motivates institutions to increase the number of graduates in Critical Occupation degrees by 20% within four years • Innovative approaches to curriculum and degree offerings, such as reducing non-critical occupation degree programs and creation of non-degree programs/certificates that create a workforce with needed skills • Efforts to maximize funding through consolidation and sharing of services, programs and instructors • New partnerships between four-year institutions, CareerTechs and community colleges that enable schools to share resources, staff and facilities Oklahoma’s Promise Oklahoma’s Promise is one of the most successful college access programs in the nation. We oppose legislation that would diminish the program’s focus on college access. We support efforts to increase the number of college graduates and to maintain the direct allocation of state funds, which ensures full funding of the scholarships earned by Oklahoma students. Career Tech – Business and Industry Training The Oklahoma CareerTech system is acknowledged as one of the top systems in the nation. CareerTech is a key ingredient in attracting industry to Oklahoma through its Training for Industry Program (TIP). The Chamber supports funding to assure training needs for new and existing industry. The business community urges the system to focus on producing a workforce that can meet the needs of high-demand occupations.
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